​What Happens?

It’s up to you. We offer a range of options, some or all of them may be available to you depending on what has happened. You can stop or change your mind at any time. Here is what would normally happen...​​

Make Contact

We cannot offer a drop-in service at Oakwood Place so please let us know you are coming. You can phone us or use the contacts page to send us a message to get in touch with you. If you don't want to you do not have to tell us your name, we can still offer you the same help.

Depending on what your needs are we will either arrange a time which you can come to Oakwood Place and meet with us or help you to make contact with other services that may be beneficial. We may ask you to come and see us quickly in some cases to make sure you receive important healthcare as a priority. If you choose to involve the police then they will contact Oakwood Place on your behalf. ​

Arriving at Oakwood Place

We will be there to meet you when you arrive for your appointment at Oakwood Place, from your initial conversation with us you will know how to get there and who you are meeting with. You are welcome to bring somebody with you to support you if that makes you feel more comfortable. If you have asked for the police to be involved they will usually bring you to Oakwood Place after contacting us first.​

We talk you through the process and ask a couple of questions

We will go over a few questions and talk through the available options again to make sure that you understand and are comfortable with everything. You can choose to use as much or as little of the service as you want to. It's ok if you change your mind at any point we are here to support your choices. You can ask as many questions as you like at any time.

Everything you tell us is usually treated in confidence and you don’t need to tell us anything you feel unable to talk about. We understand that this can be a very difficult process and we will do whatever we can to help you through it during and after your visit to Oakwood Place. Sometimes we have to inform other agencies if children or others may be at risk. We will always seek your permission to share information.​

​Medical Examination

If something has happened within the last 7 days we will give you the option to have an examination, which can help to preserve any evidence. We can offer this even if you don’t want to involve the police at the moment but feel that you might want to in the future. The examination will be carried out by specially trained female medical examiners and you will be supported by one of our crisis workers throughout. Each stage will be explained to you beforehand so you are clear what they are for and we will ensure that you agree to everything before it is carried out. You can stop or pause at any point. Learn More Here​

​​Medical Care

We can discuss your emergency contraception needs. The sooner the emergency contraception pill is taken after sex, the more successful is. Therefore this is available if required.

You might be at risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection. Our team are able to provide immediate sexual healthcare advice and can give you information on how to be screened for these infections.​

​Discuss next steps

Whether you choose to have an examination or not, our support staff will be able to talk you through the other services that we can refer you to. This will ensure that you have ongoing support after your visit to Oakwood Place. We can make contact with any or all of the services outlined below on your behalf: Health Services​

Appropriate Safeguarding services – if you need further support for yourself or your family

IDVA -Independent Domestic Violence Advisor

Follow Up

We want to know how you are getting on after your visit to Oakwood Place and we understand that you might have questions after you have left. You can call us at any time if there is something you think of that you need to ask us, we will also call you six weeks after your visit to see how things have been for you and to find out if there is anything else we can do to help.